Improved car-coupling



PATENTBD JULY 4, 1865.

W. Ci CLARK.

GAR GOUPLING.

fyi. l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. t

WM. c. CLARK, orrouTLAND, MAINE, AssieNon To HIMSELF, W. D. mou. AuDs,`or LYNN, AND WM'. H. sKINNER, or LEXINGTON, MASS.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

Specification forming' part of Letters Patent NO. 48,6117, dated July 4,1865.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, VILLIA'M G. ULARK, of Portland, in the county ot'-Cumberland and State of Maine. have invented an Improved Coupling forRailway-Garriages; and l do hereby declare the same t0 be fullydescribed in the following specification and represented intheaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top view, and Fig. 2 'alongitudinal section, of itl My invention may beregardedinthe lightof animprovement on that for which Letters Patent ot' the United Statesnumbered 40,820, and dated theSth day 0f December, inthe year 1863,.weregranted to me. Themain inven tioncovered by such patent consisted inthe application of' the link-holding pin to the bunter-bar, so that suchpinmay be capable not only ot'swinging on a fulcrum in manner and undercircumstances as stated in thespecification of such patent, but of beingraised oft the fulcrunzf in order to disconnec't the link from thebunter-bar.

In carrying out my presentinveution criniprovementl. employ, instead ofa link and a bar for supporting' the link-pin, not only a headed armprojecting' from the said pin, but a socket in the bunter to receivethehead otsuch arm, such socket being provided with a springlatch,wliich'serves to keep the head of such arm Within the socket, underordinary circumstances, and allows it to be withdrawn therefrom on anattempt being` made to raise the hook in order to free the link from thebunter. The headed arm facilitates the elevation of the lower end of thepin during the operation of coupling the link to the bunter-bar.'Furthermore, the arrangement of the spring-latch is' such that au upwardpull on the pin will cause the latch to retreat and allow the escape ofthe Leading from the link-recess, and out of the upper part ofthebunter-bar, and just in rear ofthe mouth b, is a slot or passage, c,formed as shown in the drawings, such slot being for the reception ofmclink-pin C,which at its top hasa stapleor eye, f, tor enabling a chainor rope to be attached to the pin for the mirpose of' elevatingit outot' the bunter-bar, so as to uncouple -the link-therefrom. From the pinan arm, d, is extended, as shown in the drawings,

' such arm beingprovided with a round head, g,

which enters a socket or'recess, h, arranged in the bunter-bar, as shownin Fig. 2. In the upper part of the said' socket there is a springlatch,i, formed asshown in the said figure, the

spring for operating it bein g exhibited inred lines at 7c in Fig. 1. Onpressing the headg'ot' the arm d against the end of the latch the latchwill give way and allow the head to enter the socket h. ,After theentrance of the headinto the socket h may` have been eiected the latchwill be forced over the head and so as to preserveitinthesocket untilthe pinmaybe pulled upward, in order to disengage the link from thebunter. The latch will give way under the force operating to extract thepin, and will allow the head ofthe arm to be drawn out ofthe socket. i

In the operation of coupling .two carriages the link projecting from thebunter-bar ofone will be driven into the mouth of the btinterbar oftheother, and in so doing will beforced eudwise against theconnection-pinofthe latter bar, and will press it backward and cause its arm-headtot-nrn in thesocket suticiently for the link to enter the recess of thebunter far enough to allow the p in to drop down through the link andinto place against a shoulder, k', formed in the bunter-bar. After thepin may have so descended, which by the action ot' gravit-y it will becaused to do, the link will be coupled to the bunter-bar.

Anotherand important advantage ot' the headedarm and its socket isthatthey prevent the pin from becoming accidentally disengaged from thebunter-bar by a sudden forward motion ofthe link while the lower endofthe pin may be passing over the round end ofthelinkan accident towhich my formerinvention may be said to be liable. Thus it willbe seenthat although the headed arm and its sockets applied to the pin andbunter-bar embrace my patented invention they contain one or moreadditional mechanical elements or features lwhich render them capable ofperforming one or more additional functions.

With my improved coupling all necessity of the dangerous exposure of aperson to eii'ect the coupling of twocars by going between'them will heavoided, it being Well known that in consequence ofsuch exposure manyindividuals have been either killed outright or severely injured. l

I do not herein claim what is or may be claimed in my said patent; but

Wje. CLARK.

